“A really important part of social action and our community is the integration between generations and the preservation of our Gaelic heritage. We’ve created a program that gives Year 7’s the opportunity to go meet with residents of Cameron House – a residential care home for dementia sufferers – on a weekly basis for about an hour and converse in Gaelic. The participants have a short interview before joining that asks them to articulate why they want to get involved. For our pupils it gives them the opportunity to speak Gaelic outside of the school and raises their awareness of the realities of old age, such as dementia and the problem of loneliness. But the initiative also helps increase the residents’ sense of well-being as they share memories and skills in their native tongue with a new generation of Gaelic speakers. One resident said it helped bring back memories of when she was young.

These visits have strengthened links with the wider community and brought two very different generations together, while building community awareness, neighborliness and a community spirit in our young people. Heritage, history and ancestry are all being observed, respected and invigorated.

Moreover, I think to encourage children to take social action they need to hear from other people’s experiences, both good and bad. We have had adults with disabilities visit the school to share some of their life experiences and it really made the children think about the changes we, as a society, need to make. We are dedicated to creating opportunities for those in the wider community to visit the school, share experiences and raise awareness of social issues – local, national and international.” – Barbara Smith